02 Painting, Streets of Paris, by the artists of the time, Part 37 - With Footnotes

Edouard Henri Leon Cortès, (French, 1882-1969)

Flower stalls at La Madeleine 

Oil on canvas

13 x 18in (33 x 46cm)

Private collection

Located on Place La Madeleine, the flower market has attracted avid gardeners and curious passers-by since 1808.


There is a covered as well as open-air section and it is fascinating to wander the pretty orangerie style pavilions, which are over 100 years old, that line the market, filled with flowers, plants and quirky gifts. Parisians come here to buy flowers for their balconies, for their homes and gardens and it is a truly unique and endearing place for a walk and for visitors to get a feel for the real pulse of the city. This vibrant, colourful little market is also a favourite with artists who come here for inspiration. More on La Madeleine

Edouard Henri Leon Cortès (French, 1882-1969)

A flower market at La Madeleine 

Oil on canvas

20 X 26in (51 x 66cm)

Private collection

Edouard Léon Cortès (1882–1969) was a French post-impressionist artist of French and Spanish ancestry. He is known as "Le Poete Parisien de la Peinture" or "the Parisian Poet of Painting" because of his diverse Paris cityscapes in a variety of weather and night settings.

Cortes was born on August 8, 1882, in Lagny-sur-Marne, about twenty miles east of Paris. His father, Antonio Cortès, had been a painter for the Spanish Royal Court.

At the age of 17, Edouard began his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His first exhibition in 1901 brought him immediate recognition. Cortès stressed his independence. Once, in responding to a journalist who asked if he was a student of Luigi Loir, he replied in pun: "No, a student of myself only."

life he was awarded the prestigious Prix Antoine-Quinson from the Salon de Vincennes

In 1914 Cortès married Fernande Joyeuse, with whom he had a daughter in 1916.

Although Cortès was a pacifist, when war came close to his native village he was compelled to enlist in a French Infantry Regiment at the age of 32. As a contact agent Cortès was wounded by a bayonet, evacuated to a military hospital, and awarded the Croix de Guerre. After recovery he was the reassigned to utilize his artistic talent to sketch enemy positions. Later in life his convictions led him to refuse the Légion d'Honneur from the French Government. In 1919 he was demobilized.

His wife had died in 1918 and he soon married his sister-in-law Lucienne Joyeuse.

Cortès lived a simple life amid a close circle of friends. He died on November 28, 1969, in Lagny, and has a street named in his honor. More on Edouard Léon Cortès

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